笑裡藏刀 xiào lǐ cáng dāo

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. a dagger hidden in smiles (idiom); friendly manners belying hypocritical intentions
  2. when the fox preaches, look to the geese

CHARACTERS

笑 xiào
HSK 2
smile, laugh, giggle; snicker
裡 lǐ inside, interior, within
藏 cáng
HSK 5
hide, conceal; hoard, store up
刀 dāo
HSK 4
knife; old coin; measure